This invention relates generally to microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and, particularly, to MEMS switches.
Microelectromechanical switches have intrinsic advantages over traditional solid state switches, including low insertion loss, excellent isolation, and superior linearity. However, for higher frequency switching operations, MEMS switches may be too slow or may require too much actuation voltage. This is especially true in radio frequency transmission or receiving switching applications.
Because the speed of a mechanical switch is limited by its resonance frequency, the speed may be increased by increasing the stiffness of the switch. However, a stiff switch requires higher actuation voltage for the switching actuation.
Thus, there is a need for a way to enable MEMS switches to react more quickly without requiring significantly higher actuation voltages.